Director of Admissions

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Full Time Management Houston, TX, US

Nexus Health Systems

For more than three decades, Nexus Health Systems has provided specialized medical, behavioral, psychiatric, and rehabilitative care for individuals whose needs are often too complex for traditional healthcare settings.

Through a network of specialty hospitals and medical-model residential treatment centers across Texas, Nexus serves children, adolescents, young adults, and adults with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, brain and spinal cord injuries, behavioral and psychiatric conditions, rare genetic disorders, and complex medical needs.

Our interdisciplinary teams work together to address the whole person, helping patients and families move through a coordinated continuum of care and make meaningful progress toward greater independence and an improved quality of life.

The Director of Admissions provides leadership and oversight for the admissions process across Nexus Health Systems, ensuring prospective patients, families, referral partners, and payers experience a professional, efficient, and compassionate entry into care.

The Director leads the Admissions team, including Clinical Reviewers and Admissions Coordinators, and is responsible for referral management, clinical record review, prior authorization processes, admissions workflow, stakeholder communication, and performance reporting.

Working closely with clinical and operational leaders, referral partners, payers, and executive leadership, the Director ensures admissions practices support timely access to appropriate care while remaining aligned with organizational policies, compliance requirements, and strategic priorities.

The ideal candidate is an experienced healthcare admissions leader who can effectively balance clinical, operational, and strategic responsibilities. This individual will bring strong team leadership, payer and authorization expertise, analytical ability, and a commitment to creating an exceptional admissions experience for every patient and family.

• Lead, manage, and mentor the Admissions team, including Clinical Reviewers and Admissions Coordinators.
• Establish clear performance standards, productivity expectations, and service goals for the department.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, responsiveness, and compassionate service.
• Ensure team members have the training, resources, and support needed to perform their responsibilities effectively.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex referrals, authorization challenges, and admissions-related concerns.

• Oversee the admissions process from initial referral through clinical review, payer authorization, acceptance, and transition into a Nexus program.
• Ensure referrals, clinical records, and evaluations are reviewed thoroughly, accurately, and within established time frames.
• Oversee the preparation, submission, and follow-up of prior authorization requests to insurance carriers and other funding sources.
• Monitor admissions workflows to improve efficiency, response times, accuracy, and continuity throughout the referral process.
• Identify barriers that may delay admission and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to resolve them.
• Ensure admissions activities comply with organizational policies, clinical admission criteria, payer requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Develop, maintain, and improve standardized admissions processes, procedures, and documentation requirements.

• Partner with clinical and operational leaders to evaluate referrals, determine program appropriateness, and support smooth transitions into Nexus programs.
• Maintain effective working relationships with referral partners, payers, patients, families, and other external stakeholders.
• Ensure communications from the Admissions team are thorough, timely, professional, and consistent with organizational expectations.
• Collaborate with internal departments to communicate referral status, authorization progress, anticipated admissions, and potential barriers.
• Support a patient- and family-centered admissions…